HALLIE EPHRON: Our local news is full of reports of indie bookstores opening in Boston and the surrounding suburbs. And those that survived the pandemic are doing well, thank you very much.
In my local mall, where a pre-pandemic Amazon Bookstore opened and promptly closed (yes, they did try brick and mortar), a Barnes & Noble has opened and seems to be thriving. Long time stalwarts like Porter Square Books are thriving.
Wondering if the other Reds are finding the same thing in their parts of the world. Are independent bookstores opening, thriving? Or am I seeing the world through rose-tinted glasses?
And from our whirlwind book tour guide Hank, how does it look on the ground (how many bookstores is she visiting?)
JENN McKINLAY: I live down the street from the Poisoned Pen and they certainly do a bang up business. We also have a few other indie bookstores like Changing Hands and Bookmans that are also always busy. And, not for nothing, there are thirteen (approx) Barnes and Nobles in the Valley of the Sun, which is not known for being a super reader metro area.
I do know that the proprietors of the Ripped Bodice, a romance bookstore, in Culver City just opened their second location in Brooklyn, where I am chuffed that one of my books hangs on the wall.
So, yup, it appears bookstores are back, baby!
RHYS BOWEN:Jenn, I also signed at the Ripped Bodice Such a fun store.
I’m also lucky as the wonderful Book Passage is my local store in summer and Poisoned Pen in the winter. I’ve had a close relationship with both those stores for over twenty years. Hallie and I both teach at the mystery writers conference at Book Passage in the summer.
The only thing wrong with Book passage is that it draws all the big names and I mean really big names. So I might find myself speaking with Hilary Clinton the day before me and Tom Hanks the day after. Not entirely conducive to drawing a big crowd!
We also have several good chains in the Bay Area including Copperfields. Lots of readers. Lots of book clubs. I’d say the written word is flourishing.
DEBORAH CROMBIE: Dallas has several independent stores. One, Interabang, has been really successful and is getting in the big name authors.
Also, there are fourteen Barnes & Nobles, (two of them new in the last year) with two more coming in 2024! I’m a big fan of Daunt’s books in the UK so was hoping that the new CEO would do good things for B&N. I’m going to have to check out the new store nearest me, as I want to see the new design.
As for my far north Dallas suburb, we have Half Price Books, a Dallas-based chain which sells new and used books. Ours is a great store, and the chain has been really successful, with over a hundred stores in nineteen states now.
My daughter, by the way, has always dreamed of opening a bookshop on the town square here in McKinney. Maybe she’ll give us our indie one of these days!
LUCY BURDETTE: What fun that would be Debs!
We have two local bookstores in Key West, very different from each other and very busy! Key West Island books is quirky, with some old and some new books and lots of personal attention. They sell my Key West mysteries like mad! Books and Books is more traditional and literary, and I love them too.
In Connecticut, RJ Julia’s appears to be going strong. I adore that store. So Fingers Crossed, they all survive at least as long as we do!
JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: I’ve always been very lucky to live in Northern New England: we have far more independent bookstores than the big box ones, mostly because of our lack of population density. (Keep in mind, there are literally two malls in the entire state of Maine.)
The last time I went to the annual New England Independent Booksellers Ass’n conference was 2019 - of course - and I was stunned to meet several young booksellers who were opening their own shops. I asked my Very Tall Publicist, Hector DeJean, about it. “Yes!” he said. “It’s a trend. They’re coming back.”
And of course, this was before the whole world shut down.
As much as we leaned on getting everything delivered back then, I suspect the rebound is that many of us crave community, closeness - and the ability to browse in real life, rather then via an algorithm some programmers are pushing on us.
HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: Coming to you from the backseat of an Uber in Austin, Texas, and later tonight at the fabulous Lark and Owl bookstore. I have been in at least 10 independent bookstores across the country in the past dozen days or so, and I can tell you, they are absolutely flourishing.
The people who work in the stores are wonderful and knowledgeable and clever and hilarious, completely well-read and eager to guide readers to their next favorite book.
In my home territory, An Unlikely Story constantly brings in 50-100 attendees for an author, talk, and 300 for the likes of Ruth Ware, and Lisa Jewell it is an absolutely magical place, and somehow sprinkles fairy dust on all who enter.
Brookline Booksmith has been hosting my launches for more than 10 years, and it is such a solid, reliable institution. Both stores pivoted during the height of the pandemic, and really served their readers, and no, they are thriving every day. Both have become supremely social media savvy, that’s for sure.
What an absolute joy – – and what a relief!
(Here’s a fantastic photo from Page 158 Books in Wake Forest— a treasure of a store.)
HALLIE: I think Julia is right. After Covid lockdowns got us stuck in our homes, and the ease of Amazon delivery kept us there, we've emerged hungry not just for a great shopping experience but for COMPANY of likeminded folks in safe settings where we can linger, sip coffee, turn the pages, and talk about what we're reading.
What do you think? Are you seeing a resurgence of bookstores in your backyard?
JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: I’ve always been very lucky to live in Northern New England: we have far more independent bookstores than the big box ones, mostly because of our lack of population density. (Keep in mind, there are literally two malls in the entire state of Maine.)
The last time I went to the annual New England Independent Booksellers Ass’n conference was 2019 - of course - and I was stunned to meet several young booksellers who were opening their own shops. I asked my Very Tall Publicist, Hector DeJean, about it. “Yes!” he said. “It’s a trend. They’re coming back.”
And of course, this was before the whole world shut down.
As much as we leaned on getting everything delivered back then, I suspect the rebound is that many of us crave community, closeness - and the ability to browse in real life, rather then via an algorithm some programmers are pushing on us.
HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: Coming to you from the backseat of an Uber in Austin, Texas, and later tonight at the fabulous Lark and Owl bookstore. I have been in at least 10 independent bookstores across the country in the past dozen days or so, and I can tell you, they are absolutely flourishing.
The people who work in the stores are wonderful and knowledgeable and clever and hilarious, completely well-read and eager to guide readers to their next favorite book.
In my home territory, An Unlikely Story constantly brings in 50-100 attendees for an author, talk, and 300 for the likes of Ruth Ware, and Lisa Jewell it is an absolutely magical place, and somehow sprinkles fairy dust on all who enter.
Brookline Booksmith has been hosting my launches for more than 10 years, and it is such a solid, reliable institution. Both stores pivoted during the height of the pandemic, and really served their readers, and no, they are thriving every day. Both have become supremely social media savvy, that’s for sure.
What an absolute joy – – and what a relief!
(Here’s a fantastic photo from Page 158 Books in Wake Forest— a treasure of a store.)
HALLIE: I think Julia is right. After Covid lockdowns got us stuck in our homes, and the ease of Amazon delivery kept us there, we've emerged hungry not just for a great shopping experience but for COMPANY of likeminded folks in safe settings where we can linger, sip coffee, turn the pages, and talk about what we're reading.
What do you think? Are you seeing a resurgence of bookstores in your backyard?
